“Will you pick her up with me?” Her question flew out quickly, a desperate plea.
I turned back around and met her look, seeing the fear that tinted her eyes the second I wasn’t around. “He won’t cross me.”
She gave a slight nod as she swallowed—but she didn’t seem consoled whatsoever.
“Uncle Bleu!”
My brother lifted her into the air the second he stepped through the front door and into the entryway. “There she is.” He held her with a single arm as he hugged her, the same fatherly affection in his eyes because she pulled at his heartstrings the way she pulled at mine. “I missed you.”
“I missed you too, Uncle Bleu.”
“I heard you’re back at school.” My brother ignored me as he entered deeper into the apartment, moving to the living room in front of the fireplace. Their voices carried as their conversation continued, Claire’s sweet voice sharing every little detail that happened during her day.
One day, she wouldn’t want to tell me anything.
Wasn’t looking forward to that.
I walked into the great room, seeing the two of them chatting on the couch, her horses on the coffee table.
Constance turned from the kitchen, in the middle of cooking dinner. Her cooking wasn’t as good as mine, but it was edible, and lately, I’d been too tired to do much around the apartment. Hopefully she’d get better. She stared for a while because she had no idea who he was.
“My brother.” I joined them on the couch.
Bleu and Claire continued talking, and my strong-and-silent, no-bullshit brother was practically a mother hen. “What did Angelica say to that?”
“That she doesn’t need any more friends…but she’s really nice. I don’t know why we can’t all be friends.”
“Because she’s jealous.”
“Jealous?” she asked.
“You know, she wants to keep you all to herself.”
“But I can be friends with both of them.”
“Well, you know how girls are…” He rolled his eyes.
“Yeah,” Claire said. “Sometimes they can be mean, but I don’t know why.”
“Because you’re too sweet.” My brother gave her a pat on the head. “Which is surprising because your dad is a bit of a dud.”
I gave him a playful glare.
“My dad isn’t a dud,” Claire said, immediately jumping to my defense. “He’s my best friend.”
My hand went to my chest instinctively, a rush of blood right to my heart. Every time she said something like that…it killed me. I hoped we would always be this way, that when she was out of the house with her own life, we could still be close, still be friends.
Bleu smiled. “Well, that’s nice of you since your dad doesn’t have any friends.”
“Constance is his friend too.”
“Constance?” my brother asked.
Constance emerged. “Nice to meet you.”
My brother lifted his gaze and looked at her—and I could read that expression like a goddamn sign.
I glared at him—hard.
He quickly composed himself. “You too. Bleu.” His eyes immediately shifted to me, full of accusation.
I’d forgotten to mention her.
“Dinner is almost ready.” Constance returned to the kitchen.
Claire lowered her voice as she spoke to Bleu. “Her cooking tastes bad, but don’t say anything. It’s mean.”
Bleu didn’t hear what she said because his gaze was on me, interrogating me with just his look.
“The nanny.” It was the simplest explanation.
“The nanny?” Bleu continued to stare with incredulity. “Never needed a nanny before…”
“We’ll talk about it later.” I grabbed a glass of water and took a drink, brushing off his curiosity.
Claire said goodnight before Constance took her to get ready for bed.
Now it was just my brother and me in front of the dying fire.
That look of accusation was back. The question was silent.
“Claire refused to leave the camp without her, so I took her.”
“That doesn’t sound like something you would do.”
“She…protected Claire.” That was all I could get out. Didn’t want to repeat the horror story Beatrice had shared with me. “So, I’ll give her whatever she needs.”
He absorbed that for a while, the implication of my words hitting him right in the heart. It was a while before he said anything. “And she wants to live here?”
“She’s afraid Forneus will take her if she’s on her own. She’s right. Probably will.”
“And the solution to that is to live with you forever?”
“She asked me to kill him. I said no—as much I’d like to. But Beatrice returned to London to live with her parents, so I need the help anyway, especially since I’m out of the house at all hours of the night now.”
“Permanently?” he asked, referring to Beatrice.
I nodded.
“Bitch.”
“I’ve made my peace with it.”
“You don’t make your peace with anything.”
I turned my eyes on the fire. “If she doesn’t want to be in Claire’s life, then I don’t want her here out of obligation. Claire deserves better. Claire deserves to be loved unconditionally, not to be resented and neglected. I can pick up the slack. I had her most of the time anyway.”